Irish importer of Nissan, Renault and Dacia brands bought by Portugese Group
Michael McAleer
One of Ireland's largest motor distributors and retailers, the Cedar Motor Group, has been bought by the Portuguese-based Salvador Caetano Group.
Cedar employs 600 people in Ireland, distributing the Nissan, Renault, Dacia, and Alpine brands, as well as owning the Windsor Motor Group. For nearly 50 years, it was under the ownership of the Kuwaiti-based al-Babtain family.
Its car brands recorded 12,527 new passenger car registrations last year, and a further 5,723 van sales.
The Salvador Caetano Group has automotive operations in 48 countries across Europe, Africa and South America. It is involved in distribution, retail, bus manufacturing, industrial equipment, aftersales service, information technology and renewable energy solutions.
In a statement on the takeover, the Group said the Irish management team "remains unchanged and will continue to lead the development of the Group into the future".
James McCarthy, CEO of The Cedar Group said: "Our Group is now part of a dynamic international automotive group with interests on three continents, allowing us to benefit from international best practice and 80 years of industry experience as we continue to grow and expand in Ireland."
Sérgio Ribeiro, chief executive of Global Automotive Distribution at Salvador Caetano Auto described Ireland as "a dynamic and growing market".
The Salvador Caetano Group started in 1968 as the distributor for Toyota in Portgual, and now handles dozens of automotive brands across Europe, Africa and South America. These range from both Audi and BMW in Portugal to Volkswagen in Angola, Nissan in Rwanda and Chad, and Renault in Venezuela.
It recorded a turnover of €4.3 billion in 2024, with aggregated group earnings before interest and tax of €318.4 million.
Across its brands in 2024, it reported vehicle sales of 167,125, 55 per cent of which were sold in Portugal, 21 per cent in Spain, eight per cent in Denmark, seven per cent in Hungary, six per cent in Sweden and two per cent in Africa.
